Department for Education

Teachers: Rural Areas

lord foster of bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps were taken to rural proof the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy.

lord agnew of oulton: The Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy has been designed to support all schools. The strategy commits to partnering with schools, multi academy trusts, and local authorities in challenging areas to develop local initiatives that support recruitment and retention of teachers. The department is exploring how this could be developed to benefit different communities, including those in rural areas. As we design key reforms, such as the early career framework, we will ensure they meet the needs of all schools, including rural schools.

Pupil Exclusions

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of pupils being suspended from schools for breaching drugs and alcohol rules; what assessment they have made of whether that number has increased since 2010; and if so, what measures they plan to put in place to decrease that number.

lord agnew of oulton: In 2009/10 there were 370 permanent exclusions categorised with the main reason being recorded as ‘drug and alcohol related’, compared to 565 in 2016/17.There were 8,765 fixed period exclusions in 2009/10 with the main reason of “drug and alcohol related”, compared to 9,075 in 2016/17.Schools have a statutory power to search for and confiscate prohibited items such as alcohol, and illegal drugs. Where they find other substances, which are not controlled drugs but a teacher believes them to be harmful or detrimental to good order and discipline, these can also be confiscated.The department has produced the attached advice for schools which makes it clear that school staff can search pupils or their possessions, without consent where there are reasonable grounds to do so. If a pupil refuses to be searched, the school may bar them from the premises.Ultimately, we support head teachers in using exclusion where this is warranted. It is equally important that the obligations on schools are clear and well understood, to ensure that any exclusion is lawful, reasonable and fair.The process that head teachers must follow is set out in statutory guidance, which is attached.In March 2018, the government launched an externally led review of exclusions practice, led by Edward Timpson CBE. The review is exploring how head teachers use exclusion, and why pupils with particular characteristics are more likely to be excluded from school. It is also considering the differences in exclusion rates across primary and secondary schools in England.The review will report in early 2019. The full terms of reference for the review can be found attached.



Searching_Screening_Confiscation
(PDF Document, 194.93 KB)




Exclusion_Statutory_Guidance
(PDF Document, 339.99 KB)




Review_of_School_Exclusion_Terms_of_Reference
(PDF Document, 104.37 KB)

Schools: Curriculum

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byLord Agnew of Oulton on 17 January (HL Deb, col 323), where the list of "over 3,000 useless subjects" can be found.

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 17 January (HL Deb, col 323), what specialist advice was taken in determining the “over 3,000 useless subjects”; what criteria were used in making that determination; and whether they will publish a full list of the “3000 useless subjects”.

lord agnew of oulton: Following a recommendation in Professor Alison Wolf’s review of technical education in 2011, the department has made improvements to school performance tables to ensure that they only recognise qualifications that meet stretching quality requirements. As a result, the number of non-GCSE qualifications included in performance tables for 14 to 16 year olds fell from 3,175 in the 2014 tables to 75 in the 2020 tables.The department assesses qualifications submitted by awarding organisations against published criteria, including requirements for mandatory external assessment and support from employers or from higher education providers. As part of this process, the department seeks advice from independent and expert education advisors when deciding on whether to approve qualifications for inclusion in the technical and applied qualifications performance table lists.The department publishes the list of those qualifications included in performance tables on an annual basis. The performance table list for 2020, attached, can also be accessed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-4-qualifications-discount-codes-and-point-scores.The department’s section 96 list, which is attached, shows all of the qualifications that are approved for teaching to particular age groups and eligible for funding. This list, which can be found on the department’s website at the following link: https://section96.education.gov.uk/, is a wider list than the list of qualifications included in performance tables as it shows there are 5,338 qualifications approved for funding for 14 to 16 year olds. 



HL13318_HL13319_performance_table_list_for_2020
(Excel SpreadSheet, 1.24 MB)




HL13318_HL13319_section_96_list
(Excel SpreadSheet, 4.75 MB)

Northern Ireland Office

Peers: Northern Ireland

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Duncan of Springbank on 29 January (HL13010), whether the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland meets Northern Ireland-based peers as a group; if not, why not; and what assessment they have made of the contribution those peers can make using their collective experience of (1) the period since 1994, and (2) the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

lord duncan of springbank: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the whole Ministerial team recognise the huge contribution of this group of Peers. Indeed I have paid tribute to them on the floor of this House so it is a matter of record. The Secretary of State holds meetings to hear views and advice from interested peers and those with experience in NI issues, and will continue to do so. Due to the large volume of engagements that the Secretary of State is obliged to undertake, I, as per my ministerial role, lead on the day to day engagement with peers and therefore regularly meet this group of peers.